Taking Aim At Climate Change and Energy Independence - By Alberto Enriquiz (Posted 06/15/09)
HR 2454 now being debated in Congress would create a "cap and trade" market, using market forces to limit and ultimately reduce emissions of greenhouse gases. Also provides opportunities for green development in bio-mass, charcoal sequestration, advanced vehicles and more.
"The Jackson County Democrats encourage all our readers to back this important legislation by writing our representatives in Congress"
Write U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley
“The American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009," is a landmark bill intended to combat global warming and restore America's energy independence; it is now making its way through Congress.
Variously known as "ACESA" or "the ACES bill," this omnibus legislation, runs to more than 900 pages, and would touch on virtually every aspect of energy production and use – from coal mining, to housing, to transportation.
Early in May, the Jackson County Democrats heard a request from the Alliance for Climate Protection, for help in passing this legislation. The Alliance is a non-profit organization co-founded by Vice President Al Gore to combat global climate change.
Nicholas Jackal, an Alliance field organizer, visited with the executive committee in May. Upon examining the bill, the committee unanimously agreed to lend our support. Therefore, the Jackson County Democrats encourage all our readers to back this important legislation by writing our representatives in Congress. Future actions, including phone banks to mobilize broad public support, may follow as we coordinate with the Alliance. If you would be available to volunteer in such efforts, please let us know.
The reality of human-caused global warming is no longer doubted by the vast majority of climate scientists. Moreover, new and equally sobering evidence shows that the world's coral reefs–producers of most of the fish upon which millions depend–also are at risk from the increasing acidification of the world's oceans by man-made carbon emissions. Both climate change and ocean acidification pose a real danger for humanity as well as marine life.
Past regulation aimed to conserve energy or reduce pollution. What's radically new in ACES is that, for the first time ever, Congress would create a national commodities market in "carbon credits." Polluters would buy, hold, sell or trade these credits to emit carbon – but their allowed emission levels would be cut over time. The goal of this "cap and trade" strategy is to harness market efficiencies to radically reduce carbon emissions in the decades to come.
On May 21, 2009, the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee voted 33-25 to approve the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 (ACES Act). Committee Chair Rep. Henry A. Waxman, D-Calif., and Rep. Edward J. Markey, D-Mass first introduced a draft discussion version of the bill in committee on March 31.
A brief summary of every aspect of the current bill is beyond the scope of this article. On June 9, the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee released its own six-page summary. Copies of the bill, markups, summaries and supporting documents are available at (http://energycommerce.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1630:energy-and-commerce-committee-passes-comprehensive-clean-energy-legislation&catid=122:media-advisories&Itemid=55).
Additional summaries and analyses are available from the Pew Center on Global Climate Change (http://www.pewclimate.org/acesa), and from the Natural Resources Defense Council (http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/ddoniger/the_american_clean_energy_secu.html).
The bill encourages the development not only of energy saving technologies – such as advanced plug-in electric automobiles and solar power and biomass development – it also provides funds for vocational training at the high school and post-secondary level.
Area partnerships: Many of these provisions would seem to lend themselves to strategic partnerships between local education service districts and colleges, local governments, and business development. They offer tremendous possibilities to go beyond merely adding a few jobs on short-lived projects–but if properly pursued–creating entirely new, living wage industries right here in Jackson County.
In a related article, "Towards A Sustainable Prosperity," I've outlined a remarkable planned development in downtown Portland. The Oregon Sustainability Center, a 200-foot tower construction project, which could break ground as soon as next year, is an example of how leadership by local governments when teamed with academic research, can become an engine for economic development, creating a virtuous cycle of knowledge and job creation. This building would leapfrog the most energy-efficient buildings to date by a factor of two or three, generating its own energy and capturing and treating its own water. If and when it is built, it will be an international showpiece for efficiency and conservation, giving Portland students, architects and engineers a leg-up on the competition.
This is not to say that what Jackson County needs is a 200-foot tower! Rather, we should consider what long-term growth could arise from similar partnerships geared to projects appropriate to our area.
Local residents need to think hard and work smart to make ACES pay. All indications are that global climate change already underway will result in our having a climate similar to Sacramento's by 2080. Done rightly, adopting conservation and efficiency measures could help slow these changes. Such measures also could make our lives more comfortable and prosperous. After all, the technologies we develop today become the marketable products of tomorrow. There's no reason some of those technologies can't be furthered right here in Jackson County. Business opportunities exist in bio-remediation, plug-in autos, carbon sequestration, solar power and more.
Critics of this bill say its goals have been watered down. State regulations may in some cases outstrip the proposed federal requirements. But proponents argue that it's a start, and while we can lobby Congress to strengthen ACES, idling is not an option.
It behooves us all to think about what Jackson County can do. None of us is as smart as all of us.